The Trouble with the Curve
by itwontBsoonB4long
Summary: Hanna has always been able to take care of herself, but when she teeters close to the edge of dropping out of school, she is forced to make a compromising deal. Still, she believes she is in control when she begins an affair with her devastatingly handsome and mysterious teacher, Mr. Laufeyson, until doubts arise that she may be losing herself to the consuming hold of this man.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I've been wanting to do a 50 Shades style story with Hanna for a while now. Loki was the perfect muse! PLEASE let me know what you think in the comments and any suggestions or things you would like to see with the characters. Read & Review gives us writers life. Thanks!**

**I want to thank princesspomegranate, HydeLuver, and GinnyGinervaWeasley for being the truly amazing betas that they are. I couldn't have done all of this without you! 3**

**Disclaimer: Obviously I do not own any of these characters.**

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**Chapter 1**

The alarm blared, announcing that is was 6 o'clock in the morning. Hanna groaned as she sat up in her bed. The sun was barely creeping in past her sheer white curtains to illuminate her pale blue room. It should have been a peaceful scene, the calm of dawn, but the rising of a new day gave her anything but solace.

She thwacked her alarm off, but that only alleviated a minuscule amount of her tension. She sighed despondently and rubbed the sleep from her eyes with the heel of her palm. She could not believe that this was her life. Her boyfriend had left her to go chase a dream, her new step-sister was pretty much the devil incarnate, and her mother was facing prison. To top it all off, she was on the verge of failing her classes. The stress of everything going on had been too much for her to deal with, and school seemed entirely pointless in the grand scheme of things.

Yet, she knew that her mother would feel guilty _when_ she got out of jail to find out that Hanna had not been doing well in school. When things got hard, Hanna always looked to her mother, for she was a pillar of unwavering strength. Even now, her mother downplayed her charges in an attempt to keep Hanna's spirits up. Hence, in her absence, Hanna wanted to prove that her mother did not have to worry about her and she would not crumble. She was not a fragile child that needed to be shielded. She could handle things like a responsible adult, even though she was only 17.

Ever since her parents' divorce, she and her mother had a sort of silent understanding. They were two women who could take care of themselves with no need of protection or rescue from a man. They would always make it out on top, they would find a way. Hanna sought to find that way now. She hadn't done so well on her mid-terms and she was setting out to bring her grades up by any means necessary before it was too late.

Hanna got up and out of bed and went over to the mirror. She smiled softly at her reflection, the once blinding light coming back to her blue eyes in a dull shimmer. Her blonde, wavy hair was growing out and this was one small thing she could feel optimistic about. Her face had never totally slimmed down from her dramatic weight loss, and her shorter hair had made that a little too obvious for her liking. Now that her hair was just past her shoulders she thought she looked more cute than baby fat.

After a quick shower, she did her makeup and picked out an outfit that she thought showed that she was a serious student. She also wanted to look a little bit sexy because attractiveness never hurt to get your way. She checked herself out in her hound's-tooth kitten heels, thigh high white sheer stockings, pastel pink flared short skirt, white button up blouse with gold studded embellishments on the collar and a black and white lace blazer. She put on some pastel pink rose earrings to finish her look and headed out the door. She skipped breakfast as she had been doing lately. Controlling what she ate made her feel some semblance of power in the utter powerlessness of her out of control life.

Hanna arrived at school and was greeted by her three best friends. She really did not know where she would be without their support. Sure, they all had their flaws, but they were true friends, bringing her dinner and being a shoulder to cry on during this difficult time. They had picked her up and put her back together when she had fallen into a million pieces, and for that she would be forever grateful.

"Hey, Han!" Spencer called, smiling at her. She wore skinny red chords and a white blouse that was covered by a three quarter sleeved black blazer tied together with a thin yellow belt. Spencer's attire spoke to her demeanor, put together beyond her years, but lacking the rigid cynicism that age could sometimes bring. She flailed her hand excitedly, jostling her chocolate waves.

"How's it goin'?" she asked, trying to sound light-hearted, but Hanna knew she was truly concerned and would analyze her answer, from her words, to her inflection and tone, even how loud her voice was. Spencer was FBI-agent thorough and Hanna knew she had to be on her A-game to avoid an interrogation, no matter how sweetly disguised.

"I'm good… today," Hanna acknowledged, adding in some truth as not to raise suspicions. Her friends bought it and all gave her sympathetic smiles. She knew that it was out of love, but it border-lined on pity and that made her a little sick. She changed the subject, "So…Em… how was last night?" Hanna wiggled her eyebrows for added effect.

The heat of Emily's embarrassment caused her to blush, despite her caramel complexion. Her date with her girlfriend Paige had gone exceptionally well. They had been fighting lately with the idea of college turning more and more into a reality. With her swimming injury, Emily did not know if she would be able to go to any good college, let alone Stanford. She was accepting little by little that she would have to go to community college. Paige had been unwilling to accept anything other than Emily coming to Stanford with her, and had even set her up with an appointment with a renowned swim coach. Paige hadn't noticed how much all of this bothered Emily until Emily ignored her for two weeks. Paige finally got the message loud and clear, and had done her very best to make up for it with a private night of a home cooked meal and gentle touches by the candle-light. Emily might be an athlete and ready to kick ass at a moment's notice to protect herself and those that she loved, but at the end of the day she was a sentimental girly girl. Paige knew this of course, and now their relationship was back on track, for the time being.

"It was… nice," Emily answered with a shy smile, toying with the fringes of her grey shirt as she looked down. She wore a cut out shirt with a black tank top underneath, black leggings and black vans. Even though she had a slightly rock and roll style, she was always covered up, showing her understated modesty despite the fact that she was one of the most beautiful girls in Rosewood.

Hanna giggled. She was about to ask for details when Spencer interrupted, "charming. So are you guys ready for the big test today in Chem?" Spencer had already of course taken AP Chemistry and aced it, but Emily and Hanna were just taking regular Chemistry this year. Aria had done her best to avoid science all together and had used whatever weight her mother working at the school pulled to do so.

Hanna gave Spencer a funny look. Why did she have to be so serious all the time? She wanted the deets! She was about to voice her opinion when Emily answered, happy for the diversion, "as ready as I'll ever be. Mr. Laufeyson is a real stickler. I think he puts trick questions on the tests just to trip us up."

Hanna rolled her eyes, more about the shift in conversation, but she played it off like it was about their treacherous teacher. "Yeah, it's like he gets his rocks off on making teenagers suffer. He must have been a real nerd in high school, and now he's making us all pay." All of the girls snorted at that and the bell rang, signaling the beginning of classes. The girls all waved goodbye and started their school day.

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Hanna had to pat herself on the back. She'd had a pretty successful day. She managed to get an easy extra-credit assignment in her History class to just go to the museum and write a 1 page essay on an exhibit. She had convinced her math teacher to let her re-take her midterm. Now, she just had to pass this Chemistry test and figure out a way to bring her grade up in this class.

She sat down next to Emily in their last class of the day and smiled at her. They both wished each other good luck before Mr. Laufeyson started speaking. He commanded the students' full attention, idle chatter instantly ceasing. He was not an imposing man in stature, even though he was over six foot tall. His raven hair was in stark contrast with his pale skin, but that was not what captivated his audience. It was his eyes, his sharp, soul-piercing eyes. The fact that they were covered by black-rimmed lenses did not diminish their perpetual intensity. He always seemed to know what you were thinking before you even thought it yourself, and his ever-present hint of an omniscient smile was proof enough to the students that he had eyes in the back of his head. They both feared and revered him, depending on his mood. Sometimes he was amenable, playful even, but other times he was severe. They could never be quite sure which mood he would be in, so they all tread lightly in his presence.

"Good afternoon, class," he began in his rich, authoritative voice. "You will be allowed 40 minutes to take the test. Do not even _think_ about using your graphing calculators for cheating." He paused and met the eyes of several known cheaters, but other students as well as if he knew they were planning on cheating too. His intense expression made the students feel almost as though he could read their thoughts and they shifted uncomfortably in their chairs, looking to each other for assurance.

Mr. Laufeyson broke his stare and smirked to himself before continuing in a lighter, but still teasingly menacing tone, "I've become wise to your little tricks and will be walking down the aisles to check. If I catch you cheating, I will grade your test immediately." The class perked up in hopes that they would be able to get partial credit since the majority of the student body put their cheat sheet of formulas into their calculator. "By the way," he added slyly, "a ripped up exam in the rubbish bin equates to a zero."

Many dismayed sighs were heard throughout the room, and Hanna added to the chorus. It seemed as though he was in a severe mood today. Now what was she going to do?! She had not had time to absorb the information, so she put it all onto her calculator, hoping that she could make the most of it during the exam. She was pretty good at doing things off the cuff and in the spur of the moment, why should a test be any different? Now, her plans were shot and she didn't know what she was going to do. She would not risk getting caught though. The embarrassment would be too much to bear, but she really did want to get a decent grade in this class and that meant that she had to be as honest and endearing as possible. She huffed and rolled her eyes. She and Emily tried to give each other reassuring looks, but they both had resigned themselves to their doom.

The tests were passed down the aisles and Hanna did the best she could. She could not help looking at her cheat-sheet on the calculator, but she stopped looking at it as soon as Mr. Laufeyson started walking down the aisle next to hers. She hurriedly tried to look again once he moved on to the farthest aisle, but their eyes caught when she looked up and he gave her a suspicious look. 'Oh shit!' she thought to herself and gave up on the idea of cheating before he became the wiser. That didn't stop him from slowly making his way over to hover at her desk, giving her accusatory and unyielding stares above his black-rimmed glasses. Her heart beat faster and she felt her whole body become unbearably hot under his scrutiny. It took all of her self-control not to start fanning her face with her test. She gulped, unsure of how she could continue to cope, until finally he left her alone and moved on to another student to intimidate. She sighed audibly and tried to put the scrambled pieces of her brain back together to finish the test. At long last, he called time. She hoped she got at least 60% of the test right so it wouldn't be such a miserable failure, but she couldn't be sure.

Hanna looked over at Emily once she passed her test up to the front, wondering how well she had done, and secretly hoping that her friend had failed just as much as she had. "Well that was a bitch," Emily huffed and slumped in her desk. Hanna's eyes widened. Emily wasn't one for cursing being so shy and understated. This was truly shocking and Hanna laughed out loud before she could stop herself.

"Ahem!" She heard from the front of the room, and Hanna shrunk in her seat at Mr. Laufeyson's eyes boring into hers from the front of the room. 'Shit, definitely an F in this class,' Hanna despondently thought to herself.

As the other students filed out of the classroom, Hanna decided to pull herself up by her own bootstraps. She just had to make this work. She could not fail any of her classes and let her mother down.

"I'll catch up with you later!" She called out to Emily as the other girl got up. Emily gave her a strange look, but Hanna explained, "I'm going to ask for extra credit." Hanna gave her a sheepish look and Emily gave her a knowing smile before exiting the room.

Hanna sat there at her desk, steeling herself. She was going to use everything she could think of to get the best outcome. She prepared herself to be ready for anything before she walked up to the front of the classroom and leaned up against her teacher's desk, hoping to showcase her best assets.

"Uh… Mr. Laufeyson?" She asked. He did not acknowledge her by speaking back, but merely looked up at her above his glasses.

"I'm pretty sure that I bombed that test. It was a real doozey," she explained and laughed at herself feigning a blush to look as innocent as possible. Damsel in distress was becoming one of her best characters to get herself out of a jam. "Is there anything I can do to make that up," and she added under her breath, "and possibly the rest of the class too?"

He regarded her from his desk. He knew Hanna, the student who cared more for her looks than her grades. He had to admit that her attention to her appearance had paid off because she'd gone from a dowdy Freshman to a stunning young woman. He had noticed Hanna walking down the hallways, her hips switching and her jeans hugging her perfectly round ass. He had long since wondered how her supple curves would feel in the firm grip of his hands. Regardless, he was curious why she was taking a sudden interest in her marks. Maybe she finally realized that she needed decent grades if she had any college dreams. It was a little too little too late, but he decided to hear her out nevertheless. Maybe she could make this worth his while. He knew all about her friend's affair with the English teacher. It was humorous to him how others thought their secrets were so well protected when they were all too obvious to him. Perhaps Hanna would follow in her friend's footsteps of indiscretion.

"Don't sell yourself short, Miss Marin. You may have done better than you anticipated," he responded, knowing full well that she could not have performed. "After all, you had some assistance, didn't you?" He stared at her implying that she had been cheating. He knew that she had notes entered into her graphing calculator, but at least she had the sense enough not to let him catch her red-handed. He guessed that he could give her a little credit for that.

His piercing blue eyes bore into her anxious azures until she was the first one to blink and look away. Why did he fluster her so much? If she could face the likes of Wilden, why was a mere teacher shaking her to the core?

Mr. Laufeyson grinned to himself at her intimidated submission and took her test out from the pile he had just collected. "Well, let's see for ourselves just how you've done. Take a seat, Miss Marin."

Hanna gulped before sitting down. She hated that he was going to do this right in front of her! She hoped that this wouldn't be too embarrassing. Five minutes after she sat down, he started to make disgruntled noises, and she could have sworn that he even laughed! She turned bright pink, but she sat there and endured it like a soldier even though every bone in her body told her to run.

He looked up from her graded test and smirked at her. "Well, Miss Marin, it looks like you do have quite a lot of making up to do, indeed." He held up her test that was full of red marks. She didn't even register the 50% until he gave the exam a slight jiggle between his fingertips. She gasped, but quickly recovered. She was a Marin woman. She could get herself out of this mess. She knew that there was no way that she could outsmart Mr. Laufeyson, but maybe she could appeal to him in another way. Hell, hadn't her mother done that to get her out of that whole shoplifting mess? She decided to take a page out of Ashley Marin's book and put on a brave, yet seductive face.

"Oh my goodness," she sighed with a frown. She gave him a helpless expression hoping to appeal to him. "Please, Mr. Laufeyson, what can I do to make this right?" She implored, trying to look as vulnerable and innocent as possible, all the while uncrossing her legs. She knew that grown men loved nothing more than an innocent whore, and she hoped that she could tap into whatever sick fantasy he had to get her way.

He stared at her for a moment before answering with a raised eyebrow, "what, pray, would you do?"

His British accent did not fail to entice her. She did not know if she was acting or her inner most desires spoke sincerity when she answered, "anything. Anything you think is necessary, sir."

He loved hearing her call him sir. The youth of today had no respect for authority, and this was refreshing. It also thrilled him how she looked at him like he was the key to her entire universe. This was a powerful feeling that he had not felt for a long while, and he was not keen to let it go just yet.

"Hmm," he considered as he got up from his desk and went over to the classroom door and locked it, closing the blinds as well. "Anything?" He asked as he came over to her desk and set her failed exam down.

"Yes," she exhaled in reply. She took in the sight of him towering above her, and he certainly was a vision to behold, his jet black hair contrasting with pale skin and light blue eyes that were encased in black-rimmed glasses, his grey slacks hugged in all the right places, and his button up white shirt rolled up past his elbows showcased his surprisingly athletic frame. She had always considered him to be extremely handsome, but a little bit too severe for her tastes to fantasize about. She decided she would have to get right on that after this moment.

He smirked at her and peered down at her through his glasses. He tilted her desk up to expose her legs to him for a better view. Her exam and other belongings fell to the floor with a clang as his eyes took their fill on her body. The hem of her sweet little pink skirt just barely met her white stockings. His eyes feasted on her thick thighs and he had to stifle a groan. He had always loved his women to be voluptuous. He enjoyed the fullness and the softness up against his body. His mind was swept up with thoughts of how her softness would feel, but he snapped himself out of his reverie, reminding himself to keep it together before she had fully consented.

Hanna looked at him, her breath becoming shorter. She felt that the way he was looking at her as if she was prey should have scared her due to her past experiences. Maybe she was becoming immune to danger, or maybe she wanted to get some danger in her life more on her own terms. Whatever the reason, she found his hunger to be thrilling. She felt her legs opening further, of their own accord.

Mr. Laufeyson took this as a cue. He leaned in and ran the backs of his fingers gently down her cheek. He inhaled her sweet perfume and ever so softly moaned to himself as his hand continued its way down, past her racing pulse on her neck, down the valley of her breasts, to rest on her thigh where her stocking met her bare skin. He loved the contrast of his pale hand on her tanned skin.

"May I feel," said he in a low whisper. It was more of a formality to put her at ease than a question. His hand moved without waiting for the nod of her agreement. He played with the hemline of her skirt, running his fingertips over the smooth skin underneath, toying with her, teasing her. He looked up into her eyes as he slid a finger underneath of the elastic of her stocking. Hanna took a sharp inhale of breath and bit her lip, meeting his gaze. He shuddered internally and felt his cock stiffen. He was definitely going to take his time and enjoy this.

"You play as though you're innocent… but you're a bad little girl, aren't you, Miss Marin?" He asked her with a devilish grin as he inched her skirt up, his eyes focused on his actions again.

Hanna loved the anticipation and missed his eyes on her, so she answered in a way that she thought would catch his attention. Emboldening herself, she responded, "I guess you'll just have to find out," in a sultry voice. This did make him look up at her, and he smirked at her with acknowledgement, almost as if she were his equal. He was of course her superior, but she would be a worthy opponent in this little game.

"Hmm, indeed I will," he answered with a wink. He pushed her skirt up and over her waist, revealing her white sheer panties. His mouth watered at the sight. He was able to see all of her beauty through the thin material. He placed his palm over her mound with his fingers resting on her abdomen. He pressed into her in a circular movement with the heel of his palm. Hanna gasped softly and he grinned at his first small victory. "Miss Marin, are you sure this is what you want?"

"Oh, yes sir," Hanna agreed whole-heartedly. Hanna felt her whole body heat up at his touch. If this was any indication of his skills, then she might be able to get a little something out of this just for herself. It had been weeks since she was touched like this and her body was craving more.

"I do need your consent," he continued, needing further confirmation. "It would be quite unseemly for the both of us to be caught in this situation." He stopped his movements so that she would know he was serious.

She looked up at him and nodded. "Believe me, I know all about that. I won't tell a soul," she swore. Something about the look in her eyes made him believe her.

"Very well, then," he conceded with a glint brightening his eyes. He rotated his hand around so that his fingers were facing downwards and pressed into her folds through the thin material of her panties. Hanna sighed as he slowly and thoroughly massaged her lips. She felt her arousal spread throughout her body, her skin buzzed with electricity and her nipples tingled, desiring attention. She did not think that she could ask anything of him since she could tell that he liked to take the lead, and she also wasn't sure just how far she wanted things to go on their first endeavor. She could not deny though that her body ached for him to touch her in her most sensitive spot, and she figured that this would not be too much to ask for. She tried to move her body to get his fingers to move upward to her sensitive bud of nerve endings, but he dodged her every move.

"Patience," he hushed her. He grinned at her eagerness. He was too busy enjoying how her panties slowly got wetter and wetter until they were totally transparent. Her sweet aroma was filling the room, which was building his own arousal. He had fantasized about having his way with a student in his classroom, and she was not going to rush this for him. Also, he knew that she would enjoy it much more this way in the end.

Hanna had never had anyone touch her in this manner before. Usually guys just shoved their fingers right in, or went vigorously straight for the clit. This slow burn was something she had never experienced before. The pleasure was roaring through her body like a flame that threatened to consume her. Of course she enjoyed it, but the feeling of unraveling was a little disconcerting for her since she had always understood her own body. She had a feeling that Mr. Laufeyson was going to teach her things about herself that even she was unaware that she did not know.

Hanna had been stifling her moans, but she could no longer contain her little cries, and they echoed throughout the classroom. That was when Mr. Laufeyson seized the moment and slid her panties to the side to directly massage her clit. He stepped closer to her and the chair creaked as he placed his hand on the back of it to prop himself up. He circled her clit faster and faster, unable to restrain his own panting. He looked down at the way she was bucking her hips, her juices coating his fingers, her pink center begging for him to take her, and knew that he had to bring her to her release soon before he completely lost his composure. He looked up into her eyes, willing her to meet his.

Hanna had been closing her eyes and biting her lip in an effort to keep quiet, but she chanced a look up and that was her undoing. She was met with her Chemistry teacher's face so close to hers, sweat droplets on his brow and upper lip, his eyes boring into hers. He panted slightly and his breath wafted over her face giving her a chill, and bringing over a scent that could only be described as masculinity, his personal pheromones interwoven with his cologne. It was his words that sent her on sensory overload though. He stared straight into her soul, she felt, and uttered the command, "c-come." He did not stutter out of hesitation, but from the utter weight and finality of his order. Hanna's face contorted in a whimper that quickly turned into a scream. The next thing she knew, her lips were covered in a bruising kiss that effectively quieted her earth-shattering orgasm.

Hanna had finally recovered and was about to start kissing back when Mr. Laufeyson pulled away. He smirked at her, quite pleased with himself. He hadn't planned on kissing her, but having her scream in public just wouldn't do. Upon hearing a fragment, he now yearned to hear that scream uninhibited. He stood up straight and cracked his back before pressing his fingers gently to Hanna's lips. Hanna gave him a smirk of her own and licked over his hand before sucking his fingers greedily into her mouth, giving him a hint of the pleasure she could bestow upon him. Her boldness did surprise him and it turned him on even more. He cleared his throat in an effort to contain himself and she let him go with a pop. She stared up at him innocently before her eyes were distracted. It was then that she noticed the very large bulge in his pants.

She almost giggled to herself at her luck, but she stopped herself at the last moment. Hanna had been with guys before, she wasn't even a virgin, but this was entirely new. She never would have imagined that she could feel this much pleasure, euphoria even, just from someone's hand. It was someone's very skilled hand, the hand of a man, Hanna thought to herself. That was the difference. She had only been with boys before, but now after being with a man, she had no idea how she could ever go back. No wonder Aria put up with so much shit just to be with Ezra.

"Is there anything that I can, um…" she looked down indicating his erection, "take care of for you, sir?" She smiled up at him sweetly.

"Another time," he responded gently, but also in a tone that showed this was not up for discussion. He enjoyed her look of disappointment because it let him know that she wanted him as more than just a means to an end. He wanted her as well, and he knew that if he stretched this out, he would be able to get more and more of her. Nevertheless, it did take incredible self-control not to grab her face and make her take all of him.

"That," he waved his hand around, indicated what had just taken place between them, "has only allowed you to keep your D. That abysmal exam you just took would have lowered you down to an F. No, Miss Marin, you've got a lot more catching up to do. You've got your work cut out for you."

Hanna tried not to let her heart sink that she hadn't been able to earn herself at least a C, but she could not help but be excited about future encounters to come. She smoothed down her skirt, covering up her more intimate parts and started to gather her things. "I'm up for the challenge," she answered confidently as she met him at his desk.

"Of course you are," he answered with a knowing smile that did not fail to cut through her sexy resolve and make her blush. "Hand over your exam, and write your name and date on this one. I'll handle the rest."

"Thank you," she replied with all sincerity. She was truly grateful that he was holding up his end of the bargain. "So… when will…"

"I'll let you know," he interrupted answering her question of when they would meet again. The hope in her eyes made him give her one of his rare sweet smiles to assure her that there would in fact be a next time.

She wrote her name on the blank test and handled it over to him. She smiled as if to say, 'okay, that's that,' and she made her way to the door. She unlocked it, but could not stop herself from looking back over her shoulder at him before she left. She hoped that did not make her seem weak with a juvenile crush, but she just needed to be able to look at him like this one last time before she would have to pretend like none of this ever happened. He seemed to be having the same thought because he was looking right back at her. He winked at her, and this threatened to buckle her knees, so with a blush she made her exit. She really did not know how she was going to bring the rest of her grades up now because she knew that all she would be able to concentrate on was when they would meet again.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I've been wanting to do a 50 Shades style story with Hanna for a while now. Loki was the perfect muse! PLEASE let me know what you think in the comments and any suggestions or things you would like to see with the characters. Read & Review gives us writers life. Thanks!**

**I want to thank princesspomegranate, HydeLuver, and GinnyGinervaWeasley for being the truly amazing betas that they are. I couldn't have done all of this without you! 3**

**Disclaimer: Obviously I do not own any of these characters.**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

Hanna drove herself over to Spencer's house after school. Fragmented memories of what transpired moments before kept popping up into her mind like text message notifications. His piercing blue eyes meeting hers, his firm self-assured touch, his lips claiming hers. She shook her head to clear her mind. If only turning her brain off were as easy as shutting down her phone. Keeping this new rela- wait, was it a relationship? Hanna stamped down any foolish giddy hopefulness and resolved to stay level-headed and impartial about the whole thing. Essentially, she lied to herself. Regardless, keeping whatever this was to herself would be more difficult than she thought. Hanna made an inner compromise. She knew she couldn't banish him completely from her thoughts, so she designated a time and place. She took a deep breath and buried all thoughts of Mr. Laufeyson to be retrieved later when she was all alone in her room.

Spencer's house, or mansion depending on your perspective, came into view and Hanna put on her actress face, pretending like this was just another day in her life instead of the most thrilling. Hanna walked up to the house and knocked on the side door. She and Spencer had been best friends for years, and the front door was too formal at this point. It wasn't long before Spencer let her in with a hug and they stepped into the kitchen. Both of Spencer's parents were successful attorneys, so they had a large house with an impressive kitchen. All of the appliances were top of the line and they had a large marble countertop island that also served as a bar for casual dining. The girls preferred to eat here over the formal dining room, and Spencer was a clean freak so they only ate in her bedroom on special occasion.

"Hey, Hanna," Spencer greeted her with a smile. "Would you like anything to drink?" Even though Hanna had been over to the Hastings household countless times, her breeding did not allow Spencer to forget her hostess duties.

"Not unless you've got something stronger than punch," Hanna answered with a huff as she sat down at the island. Hanna was here to hang out, but she was also here to discuss her mother's case. Spencer's mother was also Hanna's mother's defense attorney in her murder case. Hanna's mother had been arrested as a suspect in Detective Wilden's death. She had seen him the night of his murder, and as far as anyone knew, she was the last person to see him before his death. Thus making her the prime and only suspect for the time being.

"Hmm… punch that packs a punch? Coming right up!" Spencer winked as she turned around to pull out the ingredients for another one of her concoctions. Spencer's drinks had a tendency to sneak up on you, and Hanna knew that she had better sip it slowly.

Hanna shook her head good-naturedly at Spencer's corny joke. "You're such a dork, Spence."

"You say that like it's a bad thing! I am very proud of my nerd status," Spencer answered mocking indignation as she prepared the drink.

"May the force be with you then," Hanna responded holding her hand up with her fingers split in the Vulcan greeting.

Spencer cringed at how Hanna mixed up Star Wars and Star Trek and shook her head at her friend. "Stop, just stop," she said with a laugh. "So, how was your day?"

Hanna could tell that Spencer was trying to delay their inevitable conversation, but she humored her for a moment. She would get her answers soon enough. Hanna was a practiced liar, but the hint of a smile that crossed her face did not elude Spencer's attention. "It went pretty well, actually. I got an extra credit assignment for History, so I might not fail that class after all."

"And..." Spender asked with a grin as she passed Hanna her drink and started making a slightly milder one for herself. Spencer knew that was the pleased look of having met a guy, and she hoped that Hanna would have a new crush to distract herself since Caleb left.

"And… " Hanna raised her eyebrows in question, wondering what else Spencer could mean. There was no way she could know about what really happened to her today. Hanna chastised herself. She needed to stop being so paranoid. "that was pretty much it!" She didn't even mention a half-truth about her Chemistry class so as not to betray herself. "What about you, Spence?" Hanna leaned in, turning the tables on her. "What was that today with Emily? You shut her down with her story."

Spencer frowned at the change in direction of their conversation. She took a sip of her drink to compose herself. "I didn't shut her down, I shut iyou/i down. You were so nosey!"

"Since when have I not been nosey?" Hanna retorted. "No, that wasn't it." Hanna did not let it go and stared unwaveringly at her friend. Truth be told, Spencer did not really know what came over her. In the beginning, the girls did not trust Paige because she was someone new coming into their group, but in the end she had earned their trust by proving to be loyal to Emily. So why was she so suddenly disgusted by the prospect of hearing the details of their love life? Spencer didn't have time to deal with these confusing feelings.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Spencer rolled her eyes and brought out some snacks hoping they would be a distraction as she changed the subject. "That's not what you came here to talk about anyway. So I found some things digging around in my mom's office..."

Hanna grinned internally. She knew that Spencer was truly uncomfortable with vulnerability and that was a foolproof way to get her off of her case. Hanna took the bait even though she was fully aware that it was bait and let Spencer keep her pride in tact. She chomped down on her rice cake and goaded Spencer. "Oh, yeah? What did you find?"

Spencer's eyes lit up as she was finally able to speak of her thrilling discovery. She knew that there was more to the story than her mother was telling her, and Spencer relished in being right. "It turns out that not only was Wilden covering up his own tracks, but I found suspicion that he was covering up for others!"

Hanna found this news less than shocking. "Duh, it was more than just him on the A team."

"No, Hanna, you're not understanding," Spencer dragged as if this was this easiest thing in the world to comprehend. "These instances had nothing to do with A! There was an assault on a girl and a fatal car crash of a woman. These were people none of us even know! Now, all we have to do is find out more about them and their loved ones and we'll show that there are plenty more suspects the police aren't even looking at."

Hanna mulled over Spencer's words. If that was true, then Wilden had even more enemies than their small group of friends. But, if this was true, that meant that there was someone else in town who was just as murderous as A. Hanna wasn't sure she wanted to attract their attention. She would rather stick with the devil she knew. "I don't know, Spence. Are you sure it's not still A behind this?" Hanna was embarrassed by the hope in her voice, but this revelation had reduced her to feeling like a small child looking to her teacher for assurance.

Spencer wavered at this. She wanted Hanna to feel relieved by her news, not even more frightened. "A can't be everywhere, Hanna," she said with a sympathetic smile as she laid her hand on top of her best friend's. "Even though I know it feels like it sometimes," she concluded. "Wilden was a bad man. Somebody else could have- did do this." Spencer had to remember to be resolute in her support of Hanna's mother and her innocence even when Hanna wasn't entirely convinced. "It's up to us to flesh them out." Hanna still looked weary so Spencer added, "I know you would do it for me, for any of us."

That nailed Hanna in the heart. She saw now what lengths her friend was willing to go for her mom. How could she be too afraid to go there herself? "You're right," she choked out. "We've got to find them so my mom can get out and finally come home. But where do we start?"

"Well, lucky for us, we've got someone on the inside," Spencer answered with a wink. Hanna smiled in understanding and the heavy mood lifted.

* * *

All Emily could hear was the sound of her own breathing as she jogged down the path in the woods. She knew that Paige would probably have a heart attack if she knew that Emily was out here all alone, but Emily didn't care. She didn't want to be under the over-protective arm of anyone anymore. She could take care of herself, and if she was honest, she actually wanted something to happen. When someone, still unknown, tried to run over Mona, Emily had acted out of instinct. She had not been prepared to act, or for the repercussions of her actions. Now however, she felt ready. If someone decided to step out of the darkness only to take her back with them into the eternal darkness, they were in for a shock. Her mind was set on extinguishing her assailant's light, forever. Emily hardly ever let her mind wander these dark paths, but she'd had enough of doing the right thing. When would it stop? If it was up to Paige, she would flee her attacker. Emily knew in her heart that there was nowhere far enough for her to run and find refuge. No, she had to fight. Who would avenger her if not herself? Who would pave a way for happiness if she did not stand up?

In the midst of these thoughts, Emily heard a rustle in the bushes. Enough was enough. She refused to live in fear for the rest of her life. "Who is that?!" She called out into the darkness. She heard the sound of leaves crushing under rapid footsteps. "Show yourself!" she screamed loud enough to wake the dead. From the corner of her eye, she spotted someone sprinting in a black hoodie. She took off after them without hesitation. This person was quite fast, and Emily had just started to feel like herself again after her injury so she was having trouble catching up. Adrenaline and vengeance propelled her forward, beyond her body's physical capacity. Her target darted through the trees and brambles, but Emily never lost sight of them. She grinned to herself when she saw her prey take a leap. Emily knew that this was a clearing, and then she would have them trapped. There would be no escape for them tonight. They would answer for their crimes.

Emily crossed into the clearing and her exhilaration at finally trapping her tormentor quickly evaporated into confusion. No one was here. She spun around and around, but still spotted no one. Suddenly, a roar of flames broke out and she swiveled to the direction of the sound. Before her, burned into the ground was the word, "SOON". Her blood once fiery with the promise of retribution turned ice cold with this prophecy of doom.


End file.
